FAMILY EMPOWERMENT SPECIALIST

Are you looking for an Agency that is Fun, Friendly, Collaborative, Exciting and Rewarding, you have found the right place.

Rebekah Children's Services is passionate about Mental Health and providing the best care to our clients, employees, and community. We are looking for individuals who share in our passion of Mental Health and Quality Care. We are committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourage all people to apply. Our programs are deeply engaged in conversations and trainings on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in order to bring equity and justice to the youth and families we serve.

We are looking for 2 Family Empowerment Specialists for our Family Resource Center!!

Our Story

Rebekah Children's Services has been serving Children and Families since 1897 and is committed to seeing our community flourish by building pathways of Hope, Happiness, and Well-Being. Our agency offers family-centered mental health services, education and training that promotes healing, healthy development, and future success of those we serve.

We are always striving to be the BEST Agency for Quality Care, Education and Employment!!!

Benefits

• Competitive Salary
• 7.5% Bilingual Stipend
• 401K matching plan
• Excellent Medical Benefits
• Up to 5 weeks of combined PTO and Sick Time accrual
• 13 Holidays observed per year.
• Opportunities for growth and further training
• Family oriented environment
• Work, Life Balance focused.
  
  

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Place-Based Family Resource Center Program Manager, will follow established procedures. Family Empowerment Specialist will provide promotion, prevention, and early intervention information, resources, and support to the families in the community through activities focused on capacity-building, school readiness, health and wellness, and early literacy. The following are examples of activities: Coffee talks, workshops, neighborhood association meetings, Place-Based Family Resource Center activities, brief home visits, fairs, etc. Performance of typical responsibilities and duties requires the ability to perform the job duties and other job-related matters generally of limited to moderate complexity.

Typical Responsibilities And Duties

Community Worker activities will include, but may not be limited to:

• Develop and maintain meaningful, productive relationships with families. Create a trauma-informed safe space where families can build connections and natural supports.
• Support the FIRST 5’s priority population in building protective factors and meeting basic needs, including families with children with disabilities and behavioral health and Immigrant families, prioritizing new arrivals and those with no or mixed documentation, under-resourced families including low-income and "gap" families not eligible for government-funded programs, court-impacted families affected by justice, child welfare systems, and families with unstable housing, underserved populations, families with children five years of age or younger, child victims of crime, families of color, homeless families, economically deprived families, families exposed to violence, relative caregivers, single parents, young parents, parents with substance abuse issues, parents with mental health concerns, and parents with disabilities.
• Outreach, engagement, and education of diverse families and community members in identified districts and zip codes.
• Hosts several annual events to provide families with supplies that meet basic needs, as well as to create community.
• Partner with other organizations, agencies, and entities (i.e., faith-based, schools, parent groups) to increase the capacity and knowledge of the entire community.
• Plan and lead Place-Based Family Resource Center Programs and Components; workshops, and activities, including but not limited to the following: Evidence-based Parent Education (i.e., Incredible Years, LifeSkills, Strengthening Families Program, Be Strong Parent Café, SEEDS for Parents, Triple P, Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors) as well as Evidence-based Childcare/Kinder-readiness classes and activities, Community Outreach Events, Community Education/Training, Developmental Playgroups, and Community Interest Groups.
• Provide mobile and “pop-up” services at various sites throughout the community, including schools, parks, community centers, and living communities.
• Provide information and resources in their community that are culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate.
• Deliver information and resources to locations within the targeted zip codes that families with young children are known to frequent (i.e., early care and education facilities, community centers, churches, and neighborhoods).
• Help parents and caregivers identify gaps, barriers, and/or issues that interfere with children’s healthy development and readiness to learn, communicating this with Place-Based Family Resource Center staff.
• Inform the community partners and the FIRST 5 Commission, through evaluation and data, of the gaps, barriers, and/or other obstacles families are experiencing in accessing resources, information, and services within the focus areas.
• Inform the community of the long-term benefits to a child who experiences the following activities and support:
• Physical well-being and motor development
• Positive social and emotional development
• A love of and curiosity for learning
• Early Literacy and Oral Language Development
• Cognitive development and general knowledge

• Adhere to Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (MAA) contract requirements, conducting outreach, completing, and submitting time studies and other required documents.
  
  

Family Empower Specialist Commitment

• Provide outreach, engagement, and education in an assigned zip code/community independently and with Place-Based Family Resource Center staff and volunteers.
• Provide outreach, engagement, and education activities on weekdays, evenings, and weekends as needed.
• Provide outreach, engagement, and education activities door-door, in-home, at information tables/booths, small and large group presentations, informative announcements, and one-on-one interaction with community members at informal community gatherings (i.e., parks, schools, home-based daycares, parent meeting, faith-based events), and formally organized health/resource fairs.
• Determine the needs of families to identify the appropriate programs, services, and activities.
• Attend monthly team meetings, and trainings, as appropriate.
• Develop an outreach, engagement, and education calendar of scheduled activities.
• Maintain ongoing data collection and reporting forms for all scheduled activities.
• Complete and submit required monthly data collection and report forms monthly to the Program Manager
• Every employee has the opportunity and responsibility to participate in one or more activities each year that support the performance quality improvement (PQI) of RCS programs and services. Activities might involve membership on a PQI committee or work group, service as a peer reviewer, data collection for PQI and evaluation purposes, completion of PQI questionnaires and surveys participation in focus groups, or other activities as identified by PQI committees or work groups.
  
  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education, Training And Experience

• Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English and Spanish languages.
• Ability to work with diverse workgroups and serve families with diverse economic, social, racial, and cultural backgrounds.
• Knowledgeable about local community resources
• Ability to establish and maintain personal and programmatic boundaries while providing supportive service.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to relate to individuals who may not share basic commonalities, including value systems and behavioral norms.
• Experience in working with culturally diverse communities and families.
• Demonstrate good writing and organizational skills.
• Maintain a professional, confidential work environment.
• Knowledge of child development and behavior.
• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and multi-task.
• Serve effectively as a member of a team internally and externally.
• Communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Serve closely with community members from diverse ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds, with the ability to be culturally sensitive and appropriate.
• Be flexible, proactive, adaptable, and able to work in a fast-paced, changing environment.
• Be professional, trustworthy, respectful of others, and display a positive attitude.
• Academic and Experience Qualifications:
• Must possess a high school diploma or GED.
• Experience in social services in community settings with families preferred.
• Licenses, Certifications, Registrations:
• Must possess a valid California Driver’s license, reliable transportation, and current auto insurance.
  
  

License(s)

• California driver’s license and good DMV report (and ability to be insured by RCS’ insurance carrier).
  
  

Special Requirements

• Must be able to meet and receive a criminal records clearance as required by Title XXII licensing regulations.
• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
• Clearance of fingerprint background check.
• Bilingual language capacity in Spanish-English and/or Vietnamese-English, and/or other languages a plus.
• Must have valid TB screening.
  
  

Physical And Mental Requirements

The following are required in the day-to-day performance of the duties of this position:

• Sitting, walking, standing, grasping (simple), and visual/auditory acuity are constantly required (over 2/3 of the workday).
• Bending, squatting, kneeling, twisting, lifting, reaching, and pushing/pulling are required occasionally (under 1/3 of the workday).
• Climbing and crawling are generally not required.
• Fast-paced, diverse, and dynamic environment
• The service is sometimes physical, requiring setting up for events which may require transporting or lifting cumbersome materials, e.g., easels, flip charts, refreshments, brochures, chairs, tables, etc.
• Must be able to report to the service site on a regular and reliable basis.
• Able to deal with stressful situations.
• Must be able to work a flexible schedule, which includes day, evening, weekend, and holiday hours, as appropriate, to coordinate and provide services and activities for families during non-traditional hours.
• Able to travel between sites and to offsite events throughout the county, as appropriate.